Photo by Richard Hurd
Madison economist quoted in national trade publication, named chair of Great Lakes EDC advisory board
Madison economist quoted in national trade publication, named chair of Great Lakes EDC advisory board
DMP Development Analytics Founder Featured as Expert Source in Site Selection Magazine’s May 2026 “Area Spotlights” Feature on the Great Lakes; Leads Advisory Board for Annual Great Lakes Rising Conference in Milwaukee, September 23–25
MADISON, Wis. — Dean M. Prestegaard, founder and Principal Economist of DMP Development Analytics, has been named Chair of the Advisory Board of the Great Lakes Economic Development Council (Great Lakes EDC) — and was recently featured as an expert source in Site Selection Magazine’s May 2026 edition — in the magazine’s “Area Spotlights” section — one of the leading trade publications covering corporate site selection and regional economic development in North America.
In the article “Great Lakes: A Legacy Constantly in the Making,” Prestegaard is quoted on the region’s workforce advantages, brownfield redevelopment opportunities, and the freight and logistics infrastructure that makes the Great Lakes one of the premier economic regions in the world. The piece highlights the Great Lakes as the third largest economy in the world, with a $6 trillion regional GDP, and examines the forces driving sustained corporate investment across the eight-state, two-province region.
“In the Great Lakes region, we offer so many different activities with the natural environment — there is an attraction to the younger workforce to be in places like this when they’re thinking about raising their families.”
— Dean M. Prestegaard, “Great Lakes: A Legacy Constantly in the Making,” Site Selection Magazine, May 2026
Prestegaard also spoke to the region’s brownfield redevelopment potential — a topic directly relevant to Wisconsin’s communities — noting that legacy manufacturing facilities with existing transportation infrastructure represent significant, underutilized economic development opportunities when contamination barriers are addressed and clear redevelopment pathways are established for site selectors and prospective investors.
As Advisory Board Chair of the Great Lakes EDC, Prestegaard will guide the council’s strategic direction and programming, including its annual Great Lakes Rising conference — scheduled for September 23–25, 2026, in Milwaukee — and the “Be Greater!” professional development webinar series. The conference is the premier annual convening of economic development professionals from across the United States and Canada working on Great Lakes regional issues.
“The Great Lakes EDC connects economic development professionals across a binational region with enormous long-term potential. I look forward to working with the Advisory Board to advance programming, partnerships, and initiatives that support the growth and resilience of communities throughout the region.”
— Dean M. Prestegaard, Chair, Great Lakes EDC Advisory Board
Prestegaard brings more than 30 years of experience spanning the public, private, and academic sectors. He founded DMP Development Analytics in Madison in 2024 following roles as Senior Economist at HDR Inc. and Economic Development Chief at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, where he oversaw major statewide studies including the Wisconsin State Freight Plan. Through DMP-DA, he leads a multidisciplinary team delivering economic and fiscal impact analyses, market assessments, target industry studies, industry cluster analyses, and freight and manufacturing policy development for public and private sector clients across the Great Lakes region.
Prestegaard currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Wisconsin Economic Development Association, is a member of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Freight Advisory Committee, and is an active member of the Wisconsin Veterans’ Chamber of Commerce. He holds a Master of Arts in Economics from West Virginia University and completed doctoral studies in Urban Studies at Cleveland State University.
ABOUT THE GREAT LAKES RISING 2026 CONFERENCE
The Great Lakes Rising conference is the annual convening of the Great Lakes EDC, bringing together economic development professionals, industry leaders, and institutional stakeholders from across the United States and Canada. The 2026 conference will be held September 23–25 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For more information, visit greatlakesedc.com.
ABOUT DMP DEVELOPMENT ANALYTICS
DMP Development Analytics (DMP-DA) is a Madison, Wisconsin–based economic consulting firm helping communities across the Great Lakes region make more informed decisions about significant long-term public infrastructure investments. The firm applies the concepts, tools, and models of regional economics to issues that constrain local growth and development. Core service areas include economic and fiscal impact analyses, economic development studies, market assessments, target industry studies, driver and cluster analyses, policy and program assessment, and manufacturing and freight policy development. DMP-DA supports state departments of transportation, metropolitan planning organizations, cities, counties, economic development organizations, and private sector clients. For more information, visit dmpdevelopmentanalytics.com.
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